WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. Special to WPCNR from Wal-Mart Stores. July 18, 2006 (EDITED): Wal-Mart will open its long-awaited store in downtown White Plains, N.Y., featuring unique design elements and a product mix for its urban customer tomorrow, Wednesday, July 19. The architecture and product mix in the development of this highly anticipated store were conceived to serve the needs of the community and Main Street residents, according to Wal-Mart news release. The store occupies two floors of a remodeled, nine-story building at 275 Main St. at The Shoppes on Main. The store will welcome its first customers following a 7 a.m. grand opening ceremony. A VIP opening takes place this evening at 6 P.M.
Wal*Mart on Main Street, City Hall is at the left. Photo, Courtesy, Wal-Mart.
The new White Plains Wal-Mart, consisting of 179,731-square-feet, will incorporate several new design elements while featuring many of the retailer’s new merchandise products that are rolling out this summer. Some of the distinctive features of the store include a shopping cart escalator (shown above) between the two store levels and an automated shopping cart elevator that will deliver carts from the parking lot back to the store. Photo, Courtesy, Wal-Mart
Keeping both pedestrian and drive traffic in mind, customers can enter the store directly off Main Street or by elevators from the six-levels of parking above the store in the building’s roof-top garage which offers three-hour validated parking for 600 vehicles. The building’s six “oversized” elevators accommodate shopping carts to provide customers the convenience of purchasing grocery and general merchandise in one trip.
“This store represents an excellent example of how well the Wal-Mart concept can fit into an urban setting,” said Steve Mitchael, director of design for Wal-Mart’s North-Central Division, who spearheaded the project’s design. “The store’s contemporary design captures White Plains’ downtown revitalization efforts and offers a product mix and layout to meet this local community’s needs, while providing for a truly unique Wal-Mart shopping experience.”
“White Plains is excited about this opening, and we are eager to have Wal-Mart joining our corporate community,” said White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino. “Wal-Mart has established itself in communities throughout the United States and the world, and now residents and visitors to our city will be able to enjoy the low prices and large selection for which Wal-Mart is known.”
Additional Wal-Mart White Plains Features
According to Store Manager Calvin Lechliter, the store will incorporate several unique design elements while featuring many of the retailer’s new merchandise products rolling out this summer.
Inside, customers will find wider aisles, eye-appealing wood floors that accent department areas, new George® and Metro 7® clothing lines and new signage. Additionally, a new line of Wal-Mart’s exclusive SELECT series® of GE small appliances will be available among a wide selection of home décor and home organization merchandise. The store’s electronics department will showcase the latest in computers, DVD players, iPods and high-definition televisions. The store also offers limited produce, dry goods and refrigerated foods, providing residents easy access to fresh, nutritious foods within walking distance of their downtown homes.
In all, the store will feature 36 general merchandise departments including apparel, health and beauty aids, household needs, toys, fabrics and crafts, lawn and garden supplies, jewelry, and shoes – all displayed on lower shopper-friendly shelves. The store also offers a vision center, a one-hour photo lab, a pharmacy, and a Wal-Mart Connect Center for wireless phones. Businesses on site that offer additional convenience include a Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant and a Regal Nail Salon.
“We are thrilled to expand our presence with the 60th Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant within a Wal-Mart. Dunkin’ Donuts has been part of the White Plains community since 1993, and this new restaurant will enable the brand to continue fueling customers where they work, live, and now, shop,” said Bill Rogers, new business development manager for Dunkin’ Brands.
“Wal-Mart is a perfect fit for White Plains, offering new jobs, new investment and community leadership. It is a major win for the city that Wal-Mart has chosen White Plains to open a unique downtown store,” said developer Anthony DiTommaso, Jr., CEO of Ivy Realty. “We are excited to help bring one of the world’s best known brand names to White Plains and to be a part of this area’s retail renaissance,” he added.
The White Plains Wal-Mart will be open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., seven days a week and will include 19 full-service, four express, and three, self-check-out lanes.
$67,000 in Grants at the Start
Wal-Mart will provide $67,000 in various community grants before opening its doors in White Plains, beginning with the recently announced $40,000 donation to the White Plains Sculpture Garden, a pedestrian-friendly initiative that features works of art throughout the city’s downtown area.
“Our goal in community giving is to support programs that better the lives of our neighbors, as well as help a community achieve its long-term goals,” said Lechliter. “We look forward to building relationships with the groups that make the White Plains area a great place to live and work.”
With the goal of giving back locally, the store will provide community grants throughout the year to local organizations. Organizations can contact their local store for details.
400 Jobs
The store will employ approximately 400 associates, and more than 4,200 people applied for jobs at the new store, according to Lechliter. “Our associates are eager to open the doors to a new shopping experience for Westchester County, and each has personally touched this project by working to set our product and prepare for this opening.”
Lechliter added that most associates originally hired last summer and fall have been working at other area Wal-Mart stores for many months, gaining valuable experience as the new store neared completion. “Despite the fact we had to adjust our opening date a few months back, the majority of associates stayed on with the company working at other locations in anticipation of the store opening. This event is especially important to these associates, and we are so thankful for the great team we now have in place that will make this store’s shopping experience top of the line.”
Grand Opening Activities
White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino is scheduled to assist Lechliter with the store’s ribbon cutting while store associate Renee O’Neal will perform the national anthem. Members of the American Legion Post 135 Honor Guard will present the colors at a private VIP preview the evening before the grand opening. Other activities planned during the grand opening event include numerous product samplings, costume character appearances and give-aways.
